. >> and so jon karl live with us from the white house. jon if the president told the president on multiple occasions he wasn't under investigation, why didn't comey go public that president trump isn't personally under investigation. >> comey said there were several reasons for not going public. primarily, because if it changed and if the fbi investigation began to turn to focus on president trump, comey said it would have been a duty to correct the record. by the way, david, we now have a statement from the president's personal attorney, noting that comey said, on three separate occasions that he was not under investigation. he says, the president feels completely and totally vindicated. david. >> vindicated the word from the president's personal attorney tonight. jon karl, our thanks to you. abc's chief legal analyst with us, dan abrams. comey did tell the president he's not under investigation personally. he also writes in the memo that president demanded loyalty, expects loyalty. on the michael flynn investigation, he said, can you le

. >> so, let's get to jon karl live at the white house. and jon, sean spicer was pressed again today on whether or not the president has secretly recorded conversations there at the white house, in particular, with james comey. no cameras orred all owe from that briefing allowed today. obviously, you were there. so, what did spicer say? >> reporter: at one point, spicer said the president would probably reveal by the end of the week whether those recordings exist. at another point, he said possibly by the end of the week. but the one thing that you will not see or hear are recordings of sean spicer today. david, and more and more of these briefings, the white house is simply not allowing news organizations to take video of spicer or to broadcast his words. >> that will be debated for some time to come. jon karl. our thanks to you. >>> and there are tensions with russia mounting tonight, after a u.s. fighter jet shot down a syrian war plane. russia now saying american and coalition planes will now be tracked as targets over parts of syria.

just friday as you know that president trump's exchange happened with our jon karl. jon asking, would you will be willing to speak under oath? here's what the president said. >> would you be willing to speak under oath to give your version of en -- >> 100%. i didn't say under oath. i hardly know the man. i'm not going to say i want you to pledge allegiance. who would do that? under oath. think of it, i hardly know the man. it doesn't make sense. >> cecilia, you were there today. the white house was asked, does that offer still stand. >> he was asked whether in fact this testimony might happen? he hedged. this was sean spicer today, right here in the briefing room, he's not had further discussions with the president about this potential testimony. a very different answer from the white house today than the very adamant president trump we heard from a couple of days ago. >> cecilia, good to have you back tonight. >>> also breaking news in the bill cosby sex assault case. the comedian once known as america's dad, arriving at court with his wife camille by his side. the

>> jon karl live at the white house. jon, thank you. >>> the senate tonight launching a new investigation, this time focucusing on loretta lynch. looking into whether lynch interfered in the hillary clinton e-mail case. earlier this month, james comey testified lynch told him to downplay the fbi investigation. >>> now, to outrage from some, after that plan from senate republicans were finally revealed. their place to repeal and replace obamacare. tonight, some leading republicans on the hill have made it clear they're not onboard. some arguing the cuts are too deep. mary bruce on the hill again tonight. >> reporter: at the airport, lawmakers leaving washington for the weekend got a harsh sendoff. >> take our care, we'll vote them out! >> reporter: anger erupting from california -- >> are you ready to fight! >> reporter: to pennsylvania. if more than two republican senators vote no, the health care bill won't pass. and now, at least five say they're not onboard. nevada senator dean heller today announcing his decision. >>

. >> let's get to jon karl. the president clearly seems frustrated with his attorney general. tonight, your sources telling you that frustration goes both ways. >> it does. after the president recently lashed out at the attorney general yet again, attorney general sessions said that he was more than willing to resign, when i asked -- when we asked the spokesperson for the department of justice whether or not in fact he had offered to resign, we got simply a decline to comment. david. >> more to come on this story for sure. >>> in the meantime, on thursday, abc news will carry director comey's testimony live with a special report at 10:00. >>> among those watching thursday's hearings, the president's son, donald junior and eric. tonight in an exclusive interview with tom llamas, don trump jr. speaking about the russian investigation now entangling the white house. >> you've described this whole thing as a witch zblunt to me it's not without a question reads and smells like a witch hunt. because i have no other proof or evidence to show otherwise. >> tom with us here in the stud

. >> jon karl joins us from the white house, and clear this us for us. for months, trump called the russia story a hoax. why is he now attacking president obama for not being tough enough on the russians? >> reporter: well, tom. he is clearly jumping on an opportunity to criticize president obama, but even as the intelligence community warns that russia will try to do it again, combatting russian interference has hardly been a priority at this white house, tom. >> jonathan karl, thank you. >>> we move onto the wildfires raging in the west. 21 large fires in seven states fueled by the extreme heat and strong winds. take a look at the flames moving quickly across the winds. near prescott, arizona, and burning close to the highway in california. more than 1,500 people forced to evacuate, hoping their homes can be saved. matt gutman is on the fire lines tonight. >> reporter: tonight an army of firefighters in utah battling a fire that has sent up walls of flame 100 feet high, torching an area the size of washington, d.c. >> i've never seen a run like what ha

. >> jonathan karl joins us from the white house. jon, back to that threat the president's tweet saying james comey better hope there are no tapes. tonight, comey's memos have been turned over the special counsel. is there pressure at the white house to do the same with these tapes. >> reporter: at least answer definitively the question, whether or not the president taped his conversations. that was a question that came up at today's white house briefing. the answer from the deputy press secretary was, i have no idea. a question that she and sean spicer will get over and over again in the coming days. >> jon, our thanks to you. >>> two more legal questions tonight. one about the president and one about james comey as well. i want to bring in dan abrams. on this issue of michael flynn, the alleged request we heard about in the oval office. saying to comey, i hope you can let it go. comey pressed on that today. the president saying i hope, not i order you let it go. here's the moment comey was pressed on that point. how do you take it,